Union relieve John Hackworth of managerial duties

Philadelphia Union head coach John Hackworth coaches from the sideline in the first half of an MLS soccer match against the Seattle Sounders, Saturday, May 3, 2014, in Seattle. Hackworth was relieved of his duties by the club Tuesday after a difficult start to the 2014 season. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Results in consecutive games weren’t enough to save John Hackworth from a fate that has seemed increasingly inevitable in recent weeks.

The Philadelphia Union relieved the manager of his duties Tuesday, installing Jim Curtin as the interim manager and undertaking a national search for a permanent replacement.

Hackworth, who replaced Peter Nowak three days short of two years ago, was the second manager in club history. Hackworth posted a 23-30-20 record in MLS, including leading the Union to a franchise record 12 wins last season, though they still missed out on the playoffs.

A disastrous start to this season that included a franchise-record nine-game winless streak and a 3-7-6 record spelled an end to his tenure. The Union sit eighth in the Eastern Conference, just three points out of a playoff berth but having played more games than any of the teams ahead of them. The underachievement with a revamped roster that benefited from a major offseason spending spree was deemed unacceptable by management.

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“We are a very ambitious club and although we are just in our fifth season we expect to win and be in the top tier of MLS,” Union CEO and Operating Partner Nick Sakiewicz said in a team release. “Today we will begin a serious global search for a team manager who will help guide us to our goal of competing to win the MLS Cup. Philadelphia is a major market and we expect that there will be significant interest from a wide variety of qualified candidates to become Philadelphia Union’s team manager. Our great fans, partners and community deserve a winning team and we will doing everything in our power to win.

“We appreciate the work, time and efforts John Hackworth put into building the club and his influence on our growing youth academy. He is a first class person and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

Curtin, a native of Oreland and a graduate of Villanova, will take over the reins. The 34-year-old, who was named an assistant coach before the 2013 season, played eight seasons in MLS.